Athletic Director Susan Bassett to be honored by The Women and Girls Foundation at annual event

Sept. 19 - (PITTSBURGH, Pa.) - Carnegie Mellon University Athletic Director Susan Bassett will be honored as one of the area's top women in sports by The Women and Girls Foundation (WGF).  The foundation will honor 25 women and girls in Southwestern Pennsylvania who have made an outstanding impact on the world of sports.  The honorees will be celebrated at WGF’s annual fundraiser and awards ceremony called Women in Sports: Leveling the Playing Field.  The gala event will be held on October 13, 2007 at the Heinz Field East Club Lounge and will feature special guest speaker Mary Lou Retton.   

The honorees include:

• Shelly Anderson, Sport Columnist, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
• Susan Bassett, Director of Athletics, Carnegie Mellon University
• Agnus Berenato, Head Coach, University of Pittsburgh Women’s Basketball Team
• Leslie Bonci, Adjunct Professor of Nutrition and Sports Dietician, UPMC
• Suzy Broadhurst, Three -time West Penn amateur golf champion, Director of Corporate Giving, Eat N’ Park
• Swin Cash, Professional Basketball Player, WNBA
• Teresa Conn and the Pittsburgh Passion, 2007 National Women’s Football Association Champions
• Susan Frietsche, Lead Attorney on Slippery Rock University Title IX Case
• Jan Gallaway, Member, Pittsburgh Puffins Women’s Hockey League
• Leah Gray, President, Women’s Division of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association
• Cindy Himes, Director of Communications and Alumni Relations, Pittsburgh Penguins
• Ariko Iso, Athletic Trainer, Pittsburgh Steelers
• Elaine Jewart, Founder and Owner, Jewart’s Gymnastics
• Phyllis Jones, Head Women’s Basketball Coach, Westinghouse High School
• Victoria Lewis, 14-year old gymnast at Woodland Hills
• Anne Madarasz, Director, Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum at the Heinz History Center
• Suzie McConnell-Serio, Head Women’s Basketball Coach, Duquesne University
• Sonya Narla, Winchester Thurston Athletic Star
• Patricia Paytas, Vice-President of Community and Public Affairs, Pittsburgh Pirates
• Katherine Pippy, Manager and Founder, Girls’ Ice Hockey League of Western Pennsylvania
• Becky Reitmeyer, Director, Pittsburgh Sports League
• Carol Semple-Thompson, Award winning amateur golfer
• Keturah Vactor, 14-year old start basketball player and teacher at the Boys and Girls Club
• Marcedes Walker, University of Pittsburgh Women’s basketball star center
• Elise Roby Yanders, Financial Manager for female athletes, Merrill Lynch

The Women and Girls Foundation (WGF) is an independent community-based foundation with a mission to achieve equality for women and girls in the region. Through a combination of public advocacy, coalition building and grant making, WGF seeds, supports and strengthens women’s and girls’ efforts to achieve social and economic justice in Southwestern Pennsylvania.